Miley Cyrus hits Houston with a bang

Miley Cyrus has been called a lot of things (many of them unfairly) since she shed the blonde wig and ditched the Disney sitcom. But Sunday night’s Toyota Center show proved, without a doubt, that Cyrus is much more than twerking and tongues.

Simply put, she’s a grandly entertaining pop star.

Every moment of her Bangerz Tour is a riotous, ridiculous experience. It was sensory overload even before she took the stage. Brightly colored balloons hung from the ceiling and formed archways over the floor. And despite reports that ticket sales have been sluggish, this show was heartily packed from the floor to the rafters. Fans cradled inflatable bananas, and there were copious amounts of skin despite the increasingly chilly outside temperature.

Cyrus slid down a huge tongue jutting out from her own face on a huge screen to the booming strains of “Bangerz,” surrounded by an army of dancers and a neon zoo that included bears, cats, gorillas and a gingham horse during “4×4.”

In many ways, Cyrus is the best of the current crop of female pop stars. She’s more accessible than Rihanna, a better vocalist than Katy Perry and nowhere near the self-importance of Lady Gaga. Madonna is still the blueprint, and Cyrus perhaps come closest, particularly onstage. She’s fearless, bounding expertly from dance tracks to ballads, gowns to T-shirts. Nothing seems to faze her, and that throaty rasp gives her tunes grit and soul.

The spacious staging allowed for a full band and interaction. She writhed atop a gold car in a bodysuit covered with hemp leaves during “Love Money Party.” Cups of purple liquid spilled onscreen behind her during ballad”My Darlin’” (likely meant to represent the codeine-laced “drank” popularized in the South).

“This is the biggest and the best (expletive) party you’re gonna be at in your entire life,” Cyrus said. “You don’t sit down. You don’t not sing. You don’t not get turned the (expletive) up.”

The crowd obliged, chanting along with every song and throwing their hands up at every dance interlude. (“Drive” earned one of the loudest singalongs.) There were gyrations and crotch grabs and, yes, lots of tongue. But none of it was meant to be sexy. Cyrus is a master at tongue-in-cheekiness, turning stereotypical ideals of female pop stars on their heads.

She donned a red gown and gloves for the Christina Aguilera-esque runs of “FU” — but sang it to a furry, camel-like creature instead of a man. She gave “Do My Thang” a kitschy country makeover. She cavorted through the feel-good groove of “Get it Right” on a bed, evoking Madonna’s Blond Ambition-era “Like a Virgin.” But it quickly turned into a campy, multi-person romp.

A mammoth husky statue with glowing eyes was wheeled onstage for a faithful run through of “Hannah”-era hit “Can’t Be Tamed.” It was the only “oldie” in the mix aside from “Party in the U.S.A., which ended the night with an explosion of patriotic imagery. (Dancing Statue of Liberty, dancing Uncle Sam, dancing Mount Rushmore. Really.)

Cyrus encouraged the crowd to get “slutty, the dirtier the better” during silky ballad “Adore You.” A kiss cam roamed the venue, but again the script was flipped. It focused on same-sex couples and drew roars of approval.

She took a seat at the opposite end of the venue, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with her own face, for a comparatively quiet interlude that include soulful highlight “Rooting for My Baby.” There was also a flurry of covers that made the most of Cyrus’ voice: Dolly Parton’s “Love is Like a Butterfly” and “Jolene,” Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe” and Coldplay’s “The Scientist.”

It was soon back to the shenanigans, including a fierce strut through Mike Will Made’s “23″ in chaps and “Someone Else” atop a giant hot dog. (Hey, it’s rodeo season, y’all.) Cyrus reprised the foam finger, several in fact, for “We Can’t Stop,” the bouyant single that reintroduced her as a musical force.

She stood solo under a spotlight for “Wrecking Ball,” a killer pop song that epitomizes the phrase power ballad. The crowd tore through the chorus alongside her, and it seemed to shake the entire arena.